More than 15% of service stations in France are currently experiencing a shortage of gasoline or diesel fuel, with a particularly critical situation in the west of the country, particularly in Loire-Atlantique, where more than half of the stations are affected. According to an analysis of government data on fuel prices by AFP, 15.7% of service stations in France are affected by this shortage. Of these, 7.4% were affected by the mobilizations in the refineries against the pension reform.
The most affected department is Loire-Atlantique, where more than 55% of service stations are short of at least one fuel. Other departments in the west of France are also very affected, such as Mayenne, Ille-et-Vilaine and Maine-et-Loire, all with more than 40% of stations affected.
The South of France is also strongly affected, in particular the Bouches-du-Rhône, with more than 40% of the stations affected, as well as several other departments with more than 30% of the stations affected.
This fuel shortage is linked to the mobilizations in the energy sector, which is on strike since January 19 to protest against the pension reform approved by the procedure of Article 49.3. To date, two of the seven French refineries continue to produce, one at Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) and the other at Feyzin (Rhône), but at a reduced rate. The Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon refinery (Esson-ExxonMobil) is currently shut down, while the La Mède bio-refinery and the Donges refinery operated by the oil group TotalEnergies are shut down for other reasons.
The requisitioning of employees last Friday to replenish fuel supplies in the Ile-de-France region, in particular kerosene for airports, has enabled a temporary resumption of shipments. However, the latter had to stop again due to the continuing strike at TotalEnergies.
This worrying situation is expected to continue to impact motorists and transporters in France in the coming days, and may require emergency measures to ensure fuel supplies.
